The bill would apply exclusively to a group of cases known in legal terminology as "mandatory complex business" cases. That group – which is also updated in the bill – includes cases involving corporations, partnerships and LLCs, proxy disputes, contract disputes for amounts of at least $1 million, cases involving antitrust law and cases involving state trademark or unfair competition.

If passed the bill would also raise the fee required to designate a case to the Business Court – from $1,000 to $1,100 – and require more reporting on the activity of the Business Court to the Chief Justice and to members of the General Assembly.

For more information on the updated definition of a "mandatory complex business" case, see this blog post written Friday by Mack Sperling of the Brooks Pierce law firm. To view the full text of the bill, click here.